Averting the Crisis

The generations of the twenty-first century has boomed with technology and scientific advances that have made life easier, more comfortable for human beings as a whole. Despite this comfortably, these same human beings take for granted the ability to live and give. We are as crippled as those who are suffering from starvation. There are over 925 million starving people strewn across our "advanced" earth. As of right now, two-thirds of the world is considered underfed or starving. World Hunger is a major contributing death factor in our rising population, and will certainly get worse in the coming years. In less than twenty years, the population is estimated to rise over 30%. It is crucial to unite and strategize a unique plan immediately to prevent the indefinite increase of poverty and hunger.

The United Kingdom recognizes this global issue whole-heartedly and fully understands the severity of malnutrition and other related problems as early as now. The United Kingdom is located just east of Northern Europe on the British Islands. The United Kingdom is part of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), the EU (European Union), The Commonwealth, and shares allies with English speaking countries like Canada, New Zealand, and Australia. The constitutional monarchy addresses the rapid increase of prosperity as a sign of an increasing need of fundamental necessities. The United States is well-versed with this situation as well as closely allied with the United Kingdom, despite its earlier wars against each other.

The United Kingdom is trying to raise as much awareness as possible about the global problem of starvation and malnutrition. According to a UK government-commissioned study, the Foresight Report on Food and Farming futures states that, “The current system is unsustainable and will fail to end hunger unless radically redesigned.” (BBC News) The government’s chief scientific adviser, Professor Sir John Beddington, urges immediate action of all nations’ governments with evidence from the study. "We know that the world is getting more prosperous and that the demand for basic commodities - food, water and energy - will be rising as that prosperity an increase, increasing at the same time as the population,” says Beddington. Despite the 925 million people suffering from hunger, the present system accommodates the mass of the population. The influence of the minority is minimal on the policies that must be decided upon to eliminate the problem.

In populous nations, including all those in the United Kingdom, the damage of these rising numbers could generally devastate both the people and the nations. There are about 62 million people currently residing in the United Kingdom and about 22% of the populations are already suffering from income poverty. Due to the current welfare reformation and other spending cuts it is likely that the government has put over 40, 000 families at risk of homelessness. Despite these serious setbacks, the significance of these cuts is to increase public finances for the coming years, as it is currently dropping in this recession. Experts believe that in the United Kingdom, three million people are suffering, or are at risk of malnutrition. The elderly are most at risk due to isolation and poverty. "We are committed to reducing health inequalities further, and have put in place the most comprehensive programme ever in this country to address them,” according to the spokeswoman of the Department of Health in England.

As the population rises, food prices also rise and is currently at it’s all-time high, according to the United Nations. “Food riots, geopolitical tensions, global inflation and increasing hunger among the planet's poorest people are the likely effects of a new surge in world food prices,” according to an article by Sean O’ Grady. (Independent) The raise in food prices has already hit the United Kingdom, where compared to 1976, has risen 1 per cent for meat and poultry and 7.5 per cent for fruit in just one month.

The broad solution in healing this deficit in both poverty and hunger is to consider all, including the minorities, in the decisions made to end this and prepare for the future. We need to lay down our iPads and cell phones and consider the future of this planet seriously. We need to lower prices on necessities, for it is a human right to be able to access these goods. The United Kingdom is part of many different foundations, including The Hunger Project. The Nutrition Action Plan, which was created and published in the autumn of ’07, is aimed towards malnutrition in care homes and hospitals.

This global issue does not only affect us, it affects all populations of the world, other nations worse than others. We must act upon this religiously for the sake of all nations. If we do not act upon this crisis now as a union of nations the imminence of mankind will most likely fail and starve to death.

Subscribe

Get Teen Ink’s 48-page monthly print edition. Written by teens since 1989.